Syria’s deepening descent into horror

Published: 22 August 2013

Updated: 12:08, 22 August 2013

When it seemed hardly possible for the situation in Syria to get worse, a horrific atrocity has come to light: the apparent use of chemical weapons against hundreds of civilians. The spectacle of rows of dead and dying young children is not one we can easily live with.

The obvious step is to call, as Foreign Secretary William Hague has done, for UN chemical weapons inspectors in Damascus to have immediate access to the area. This is minimal requirement which even Russia and China, the regime’s allies, should be able to support. But the inspectors’ brief is to determine whether chemical weapons have been used, not by whom. And that is the critical question. The most obvious culprit is the Assad government, given that the area was under attack by its forces. But in this murky civil war, the possibility that the atrocity could have been inflicted by rebels in order to blame the regime cannot be dismissed out of hand.

The French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, suggests that if proven, this development should be met with force — though he draws the line at sending ground troops. It should at least cause us to think again about the position of moderates within the Syrian coalition. The longer the conflict continues, the more difficult it is for moderates to hold their ground against Islamist extremists within the opposition and to attract support. Even if we do not send weapons, we must be vigilant about the moderates’ interests in any future negotiations.

Yet a political settlement seems as far off as ever, notwithstanding a bilateral summit between Russia and the Syrian government next week. The best hope of peace is still to implement the call of the last viable multilateral conference on Syria in 2012, for a transition government. That collapsed over the role of Assad. A better deal has yet to emerge. Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN and Arab League envoy, had his work cut out to broker a settlement even before this latest attack; now, it seems near-impossible.

GCSEs get tougher

This year GCSE candidates got fewer top grades than last — the percentage graded A*-C fell by a little over one per cent and there were fewer As and starred As. That is good. What this shows is that Education Secretary Michael Gove’s attempts to restore rigour to the examination system is starting to show results.

And not only are the exams less easy to do very well at: pupils are also taking more sensible subjects. The number of candidates in traditional foreign languages — Spanish, French and German — rose this year by nearly 17 per cent. The numbers taking geography rose by nearly a fifth, entries for history by more than 16 per cent. This goes to show that the introduction of the English Baccalaureate, based on serious academic subjects and including at least one foreign language, is already already having an effect. If schools are encouraged to opt for tougher subjects, they will eventually do so. Mr Gove has alienated the teaching unions by his insistence that schools — and examinations — need reform. But his courage in sticking to his guns is vindicated by these results.

A London tax

The news that ever more London properties are eligible for stamp duty at the new level of three per cent is hardly surprising. Any move to tax higher-value property falls hardest here. But the increase in the proceeds of the tax in London should be kept here, as proposed by the Mayor’s London Finance Commission. If that money were then spent on public transport, the tax would seem fairer.